Peking duck

Peking Duck

Peking duck is probably the most famous dish from China, and is the centerpiece of special occasion dinners in Beijing.

It’s a crunchy, greasy dish, but, oh, it is so delicious. Just as you can never be too rich, I subscribe to the thought that you can never eat too much Peking duck.

I usually eat Peking duck a couple of times a week when we’re visiting Beijing because I know it’s going to be a long time before I’ll eat it again. We usually end a day at the Great Wall with Peking duck; duck is usually the last dinner we have before we return home to the United States.

Peking duck is known as kao ya or roast duck in China. It is served throughout Beijing. Quanjude is a chain of Peking duck restaurants with locations all over Beijing. The one near the Hepingman subway station is considered the best of the chain; it is also considered the most expensive duck restaurant in the capital.

However, restaurants that seat more than 30 people will probably have duck on the menu. If you see a large yellow or white plastic duck wearing a chef’s hat at the restaurant entrance, it means the restaurant serves Peking duck.

Quanjude restaurants carve the duck at your table, while some other restaurants carve it in the kitchen. Restaurants which carve the duck at your table are usually a little more expensive, but it’s fun to see it done at least once.

Carving a Peking duck

Duck spoken here

Key components of a Peking duck dinner

How to eat Peking duck

It’s fun to eat Peking duck. Here’s how you do it:

Pick up the small, round thin pancake, which is similar to a tortilla. Then, pick up some green onion sticks with your chopsticks, dip the onion in the plum sauce and brush the plum sauce over the pancake. Place the onion sticks in the middle of the pancake. Then do the same thing with cucumber sticks. Add a couple of pieces of the roast duck, and then roll the pancake up like a burrito. Eat and enjoy! Repeat until all the duck is gone.

Experienced Peking duck eaters will use chopsticks to hold the duck burrito, but that’s not necessary. It is perfectly acceptable to eat the duck burrito with your fingers.